Chapter Summaries

After learning that the Three Gu Sect would plant a Gu insect inside him, Zhou Feng drew the Gluttony passive skill but found it left him hungrier. At the Gu Planting gathering, he discovered that disciples could choose between the Five Poisons Gu and Bloodthirsty Gu, while the Ice Spirit Gu belonged to the Sect Master Lineage.

• Zhou Feng considered fleeing the Three Gu Sect but decided he could not survive alone in the Southern Border.
• Zhou Feng's Skill Panel drew the Gluttony passive, which made him digest food faster and become hungry sooner.
• Zhou Feng ate his two steamed buns, grew hungrier, and endured the night without food.
• Zhou Feng joined the probationary disciples at dawn and noticed that they had been divided into three groups based on their clothing and status.
• Zhou Feng overheard the front group discussing the Three Gu Sect's factions and learned that the day's Gu Planting offered a choice between the Five Poisons Gu and Bloodthirsty Gu.

Zhou Feng was forcibly planted with a Bloodthirsty Gu and learned that it drained its host’s blood vitality, eventually killing them. As Wei He led the new disciples up the mountain, Zhou Feng received a Blood Replenishing Pill and realized the Three Gu Sect’s free food might be part of a plan to fatten them for slaughter.

• A burly man claimed Zhou Feng and forcibly planted a Bloodthirsty Gu in his wrist before Zhou Feng could choose the Five Poisons Gu.
• Wei He ended recruitment for the Bloodthirsty Gu lineage, while the remaining recruits were planted with Five Poisons Gu.
• As Wei He led the Bloodthirsty Gu disciples up the mountain, Zhou Feng noticed the Gu draining his blood vitality and inferred that it would eventually suck him dry.
• Wei He gave each disciple a Blood Replenishing Pill, and Zhou Feng swallowed his to ease his hunger.
• Wei He explained that the new disciples would receive clothes, tokens, cultivation techniques, and free meals, while Zhou Feng suspected the sect was fattening them to be slaughtered.

Zhou Feng discovered that his Gluttony passive let him digest the sect’s meat quickly and produce enough blood vitality to feed the Bloodthirsty Gu inside him. After studying the Blood Condensation Art, he filled the Gu and began using its help to circulate blood vitality.

• Zhou Feng grew suspicious when the Three Gu Sect confined the new disciples in private courtyards and provided them with food and a booklet.
• Zhou Feng ate the delivered beast meat, and his Gluttony passive rapidly converted it into blood vitality.
• The Bloodthirsty Gu near Zhou Feng’s heart began drawing in his blood vitality, so he kept eating to replenish it.
• Zhou Feng read the booklet and learned the Bloodthirsty Gu’s nature and the Blood Condensation Art for controlling it.
• Zhou Feng circulated his blood vitality while eating until his Bloodthirsty Gu became full and began helping him circulate it.

Zhou Feng survived the Bloodthirsty Gu’s transformation, enduring a painful Marrow Cleansing before nearly being drained of blood qi. At dawn, he learned that the night had been a deadly initiation trial and that only he and one young woman had survived to become official disciples of the Three Gu Sect.

• Zhou Feng used the pure blood qi returned by his transformed Bloodthirsty Gu to open his meridians and cleanse his marrow.
• The transformed Bloodthirsty Gu demanded more blood qi, forcing Zhou Feng to eat frantically until its drain finally slowed.
• Zhou Feng discovered that most newly initiated disciples had been drained to death during the night.
• Wei He led Zhou Feng past the corpses and found a surviving young woman at the end of the search.
• Wei He declared Zhou Feng and the young woman official disciples of the Three Gu Sect, and Zhou Feng realized the earlier promises had been lies.

After surviving the initiation trial, Zhou Feng learned that the Three Gu Sect’s outpost was a recruitment and resource site where nearly everyone had died, and he began the journey to the sect’s true headquarters at Gu Mountain. During the trip, his Skill Panel granted him the Old Skin passive, prompting him to consider staying safe and accumulating skills over time.

• Wei He told Zhou Feng and Yin Ling that the outpost was not the Three Gu Sect’s headquarters and explained that Blood Qi Gu were Bloodthirsty Gu left after draining their hosts.
• Zhou Feng waited with Yin Ling and the other survivors, then traveled toward Gu Mountain on enormous, pupil-less rhinoceroses.
• On the third day of the journey, Zhou Feng’s Skill Panel filled and granted him the Old Skin passive, which increased his defense after he recovered from an injury.
• Zhou Feng considered that he might accumulate many passive skills by keeping a low profile for long enough.

Zhou Feng entered Gu Mountain and learned that the Three Gu Sect forced its disciples to survive through scarce resources and constant danger. When Yin Ling collected her Blood Pills, Xiong Dan attacked her and demanded that she hand them over.

• Zhou Feng arrived at Gu Mountain with Lin Ming, Yin Ling, and the other new disciples, and resolved to keep a low profile and focus on survival.
• A senior brother explained that new disciples received ten Blood Pills monthly, a cultivation method, and daily sect tasks.
• Lin Ming organized the group as they settled into Courtyard No. 7 at the foot of the mountain.
• Zhou Feng learned that the Three Gu Sect relied on gu insects and harsh conditions to force disciples to cultivate or die.
• Xiong Dan knocked Yin Ling down outside the Hall of Receiving Merit and demanded her Blood Pills while onlookers watched.

Zhou Feng collected ten Blood Pills from the Hall of Receiving Merit and found Xiong Dan and other old disciples robbing new disciples outside. When Xiong Dan demanded half his pills, Zhou Feng decided not to hand them over.

• Zhou Feng entered the Hall of Receiving Merit, sensed a powerful presence, and collected ten Blood Pills.
• Zhou Feng left the hall and saw Lin Ming beaten and clutching his pills while Xiong Dan demanded them.
• Yin Ling and the other new disciples had handed over half their Blood Pills, but Lin Ming refused despite Xiong Dan grinding his fingers underfoot.
• Xiong Dan turned to Zhou Feng and ordered him to hand over half his Blood Pills.
• Zhou Feng decided that he would not hand over his Blood Pills.

Zhou Feng refused to hand over half his Blood Pills, relying on his new Self-Healing Physique passive and the Bloodthirsty Gu’s transformation. After Xiong Dan attacked him, Zhou Feng entered the Bloodthirsty State and fought back, though the gap in their cultivation remained immense.

• Zhou Feng decided not to give Xiong Dan half his Blood Pills after gaining the Self-Healing Physique passive, which synergized with his Old Skin passive.
• Zhou Feng ignored Xiong Dan’s demand and kept walking, prompting Xiong Dan to rush over and punch him.
• The attack triggered Zhou Feng’s Bloodthirsty State, astonishing the onlooking disciples because his Bloodthirsty Gu had transformed unusually quickly.
• Zhou Feng instinctively blocked Xiong Dan’s next punch and struck him with an Iron Mountain Lean, but Zhou Feng’s shoulder bone cracked against Xiong Dan’s powerful body.
• Xiong Dan punched Zhou Feng away, and Zhou Feng swallowed several Blood Pills to replenish his blood qi before staring him down.

Zhou Feng endured Xiong Dan’s beating and forced him to leave without killing him, but Xiong Dan took the Blood Pills from the other disciples in Courtyard No. 7. Xiong Dan’s parting taunt turned the pill-less disciples against the badly injured Zhou Feng, leaving him surrounded by their malice.

• Lin Ming and the other disciples watched as Zhou Feng continued to face Xiong Dan despite the vast gap in their strength.
• Xiong Dan battered Zhou Feng and threatened to kill him, but a warning reminded him that he could not kill a newly inducted disciple in public.
• Zhou Feng used Blood Pills to replenish his blood qi, while his Bloodthirsty Gu and Self-Healing Physique helped him keep fighting and recover.
• Xiong Dan left after threatening Zhou Feng, taking all of Lin Ming, Yin Ling, and the other disciples’ Blood Pills.
• Xiong Dan blamed Zhou Feng for the courtyard’s loss of Blood Pills, and the other disciples began to look at Zhou Feng with suspicion and malice.

After a brutal fight, Zhou Feng sought refuge in the Scripture Repository, where he recovered and realized the sect’s collection of cultivation methods was unimpressive. He memorized the Adamantine Great Strength Fist and left for Courtyard No. 7 once his injuries had mostly healed.

• After Xiong Dan left, Zhou Feng swallowed a Blood Pill to counter the Bloodthirsty Gu’s drain and headed for the Scripture Repository instead of Courtyard No. 7.
• Zhou Feng realized the Bloodthirsty Gu had nearly driven him mad and resolved to remove it, while his Self-Healing Physique and the Gu’s pure blood energy helped his injuries recover.
• At the Scripture Repository, Zhou Feng noticed the lack of elders and found mostly basic or incomplete techniques, then chose the Adamantine Great Strength Fist to memorize.
• Zhou Feng stayed at the Scripture Repository until evening as Lin Ming, Yin Ling, and other new disciples arrived, and he sensed that some now held him at a distance.
• After his injuries had mostly healed, Zhou Feng prepared to return to Courtyard No. 7, confident he could defend himself if attacked.

After three months in the Three Gu Sect, Zhou Feng had reached the sixth level of Body Tempering but struggled to satisfy the Bloodthirsty Gu’s growing appetite for vital energy. He headed to feed the dangerous Flesh Gu, hoping to earn Blood Pills while waiting for his Skill Panel to grant him a golden passive skill.

• Zhou Feng practiced the Adamantine Great Strength Fist and watched the Bloodthirsty Gu drain his vital energy after his training.
• Zhou Feng recalled that Xiong Dan had become an Inner Sect disciple and that Courtyard No. 7 had isolated him after losing its Blood Pills.
• Zhou Feng overheard that Lin Ming had agreed to become an Inner Sect female disciple’s male consort to secure Blood Pills.
• Zhou Feng checked his Skill Panel and saw that its progress bar was nearly gold, so he continued holding off on drawing a passive skill.
• Zhou Feng set out to feed the Flesh Gu, a dangerous sect task that provided his main source of Blood Pills.

Zhou Feng continued studying the Three Gu Sect’s control over its disciples and suspected the Bloodthirsty Gu inside him kept him from leaving. He entered Cave No. 23 to feed a restless Flesh Gu, whose grotesque form he saw at the cave’s deepest point.

• Zhou Feng scouted the Gu Mountain Range and noticed that his Bloodthirsty Gu grew restless whenever he moved away from Gu Mountain.
• Zhou Feng concluded that the Three Gu Sect’s extensive gu research and the insects implanted in its disciples made escape difficult, leaving him to rely on his Skill Panel for a solution.
• Old Wan warned Zhou Feng that the Flesh Gu seemed restless, and Zhou Feng entered the cave to begin the feeding task alone.
• Zhou Feng pushed the fodder deeper into Cave No. 23 and reached the chamber where a huge, blood-covered Flesh Gu lay waiting.

After discovering that the Flesh Gu had just been harvested, Zhou Feng carefully fed it despite its agitation. He completed the dangerous task and drew the Golden Passive Combat Instinct, which transformed his movements and martial technique.

• Zhou Feng noticed that a large piece of the Flesh Gu's back had been cut away, but confirmed that its chains and anchors remained intact.
• Zhou Feng reflected on the Outer Sect's harsh restrictions and approached the agitated Flesh Gu to feed it.
• The Flesh Gu attacked with a tentacle, but Zhou Feng dodged and waited for it to calm before safely finishing the feeding.
• Zhou Feng opened the Skill Panel and drew the Golden Passive Combat Instinct.
• Combat Instinct made Zhou Feng's posture, breathing, footwork, and force instinctively more effective, allowing him to perform Adamantine Great Strength Fist smoothly.

Zhou Feng confronted the new supervisor, Zhao Jun, after learning that their completed work would go unpaid and future feeding rewards would be halved. He attacked Zhao Jun at the Feed Warehouse, leaving him injured as Zhao Jun invoked Young Master Zhao Wu.

• Old Wan told Zhou Feng that the new supervisor refused to pay for the day's work and planned to cut feeding rewards in half.
• Zhou Feng went to the Feed Warehouse, where he saw Zhao Jun directing strongmen to load the feed onto carts.
• Zhao Jun shouted at Zhou Feng, who judged him weak and attacked without warning.
• Zhou Feng threw fine sand into Zhao Jun's eyes and punched him in the head.
• Zhou Feng twisted Zhao Jun's hands as Zhao Jun threatened him and called on Young Master Zhao Wu.

Zhou Feng beat Zhao Jun until he stopped resisting and demanded the payment Zhao Jun had tried to seize for Young Master Zhao Wu. Zhao Jun offered Zhou Feng a Blood Cicada Jade Pendant to save his life, while secretly planning to seek revenge.

• Zhou Feng used his Combat Instinct to foil Zhao Jun's resistance and twisted both of his hands out of shape.
• Zhou Feng demanded that Zhao Jun hand over the day's payment, and Zhao Jun invoked Young Master Zhao Wu's authority.
• Zhou Feng struck Zhao Jun when he refused to answer, and Zhao Jun quickly agreed to pay.
• Zhao Jun offered Zhou Feng a treasure hidden in his belt, and Zhou Feng found the Blood Cicada Jade Pendant.
• Zhou Feng felt his blood qi stir and the Bloodthirsty Gu move when he touched the pendant, while Zhao Jun secretly resolved to seek reinforcements from Young Master Zhao Wu.

After taking Zhao Jun’s Blood Pills, Zhou Feng decided to ambush him for the resources he carried and use them to attempt a breakthrough in the mountains. Zhao Jun, meanwhile, planned to leave for the Inner Sect as soon as his injuries healed and ask Zhao Wu to take revenge.

• Zhou Feng took all the Blood Pills from Zhao Jun, while Old Wan slipped away and the Inner Sect disciple ignored the fight.
• Sensing Zhao Jun’s killing intent, Zhou Feng decided to pack his dried meat, ambush him on the road, and use the stolen resources to pursue the Qi Induction Realm.
• Zhou Feng reasoned that Zhao Jun would likely leave in the morning because Gu Mountain was dangerous at night, giving him time to prepare.
• Zhao Jun used an Origin Blood Pill to heal his injuries and cursed Zhou Feng for making him waste it.
• Zhao Jun planned to sell the resources he had extorted, return to the Inner Sect, and have Zhao Wu turn Zhou Feng into a Human Gu.

Zhou Feng planned to scout Zhao Jun’s escape routes so he could seize the resources needed to reach the Qi Induction Realm. Meanwhile, Zhao Jun prepared to flee after plundering another Meat Gu Cave, unaware that Zhou Feng’s scouting would bring them together and set Zhou Feng on the path to the Inner Sect.

• Zhou Feng packed his food and belongings, saw how many courtyard residents had died or attached themselves to Inner Sect disciples, and resolved to become an Inner Sect disciple.
• Zhou Feng reviewed what he knew about Body Tempering and Qi Induction and considered using his strong body to draw spiritual energy into himself.
• Zhou Feng decided to scout Zhao Jun’s likely escape routes after dark.
• Zhao Jun exchanged his resources for Blood Pills and Origin Blood Pills after selling possessions and plundering several Meat Gu Caves.
• Zhao Jun’s repeated exploitation of Outer Sect disciples was enabled by the sect’s brutal competition for Meat Gu Cave management rights and its Gu Raising Policy.
• Zhao Jun prepared to flee, not knowing that Zhou Feng would encounter him during the scouting and disrupt his plans.

Zhou Feng ambushed Zhao Jun on the road, killed him, and took his Storage Bag, which held pills and supplies. He buried Zhao Jun in a hidden cave and began recovering blood qi by eating dried meat as the Bloodthirsty Gu fed too.

• Zhao Jun packed a Storage Bag with supplies and left his room at night to return to the Inner Sect.
• Zhou Feng spotted Zhao Jun on the road and attacked him with dust and a stone, killing him with a blow to the back of the head.
• Zhou Feng dragged Zhao Jun's body to a hidden cave and found a Storage Bag containing Blood Pills, other pills, food, and clothing.
• Zhou Feng buried Zhao Jun, ate dried meat, and triggered Gluttony's passive while the Bloodthirsty Gu drew in blood qi.

Zhou Feng used his Blood Pills and Gluttony to cultivate rapidly, then swallowed his Origin Blood Pills to trigger the Bloodthirsty Gu’s powerful blood-qi replenishment. He broke through from the sixth to the ninth level of Body Tempering and prepared to attempt Qi Induction.

• Zhou Feng swallowed Blood Pills and used Gluttony to absorb nearly all their medicinal potency while practicing the Adamantine Great Strength Fist.
• Zhou Feng consumed all the Blood Pills from Zhao Jun and advanced to tempering his internal organs, but his supply ran out.
• Zhou Feng swallowed several Origin Blood Pills, prompting the Bloodthirsty Gu to absorb his blood qi and replenish him with purer blood qi.
• Zhou Feng swallowed the remaining Origin Blood Pills when the Bloodthirsty Gu’s replenishment weakened.
• Zhou Feng circulated the purified blood qi through his body and advanced directly from the sixth to the ninth level of Body Tempering.

After breaking through to the ninth level of Body Tempering, Zhou Feng drew the defensive Passive Skill Bone Plating and began trying to enter the Qi Induction Realm. He sensed spiritual energy from the Blood Cicada Jade Pendant, but his first attempt tore at his meridians, revealing the danger of the breakthrough.

• Zhou Feng reached the ninth level of Body Tempering in three days and decided to begin Qi Induction.
• Zhou Feng used the Skill Panel to draw Bone Plating, which formed a protective layer beneath his skin and reduced the first instance of damage.
• Zhou Feng followed the Adamantine Great Strength Fist instructions and sensed spiritual energy coming from the Blood Cicada Jade Pendant he had taken from Zhao Jun.
• Zhou Feng guided the pendant's spiritual energy into his body, but it tore at his meridians.
• Zhou Feng realized that Qi Induction required carefully taming spiritual energy, a crucial test the Three Gu Sect did not explain to its Outer Sect disciples.